Not Applicable
Attached hereto and incorporated herein is Appendix A, which is a compact disc (CD) containing the source codes for the following language computer programs comprising the radians software (Visual Basic), the PMAC code (PMAC Basic) and the radians software installation program, which program (configure) the processors and computers disclosed herein to implement the methods and procedures described herein. The contents of the CD directory are outlined in the printed material accompanying the compact disc. These source codes are subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the reproduction of the appendix, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method, and machine, apparatus and mechanisms for forming curved panels and, in particular, to improvements therein for more precisely and accurately controlling the curvature, whether convex or concave, of such panels and for improved support thereof.
2. Description of Related Art and Other Considerations
Curved panels are used for decorative and functional purposes, such as related to the construction of ceilings, walls, column enclosures and, in general, architectural skins. While such use in the construction of ceilings, walls and skins comprise the most used applications of the panels formed by the method and apparatus of the present invention, it is to be understood that other uses and applications are intended to be encompassed within the general concepts described, illustrated and claimed and, therefore, any specific application is intended to be merely illustrative of its preferred use, and not limiting as to its application.
A ceiling or wall, for example, is composed of a plurality of panels, whether curved or not, so the combination effects a decorative and/or functional result for use, for example, in small and large installations, such as homes, offices and large convention and business establishments, e.g., planetariums, museums, theaters, airports, convention centers, casinos and subway stations. Most often, such panels are perforated for sound-absorbing or acoustical purposes. They are colored, anodized or otherwise treated, for example, to provide an attractive appearance. To enhance the aesthetic appearance of the building, their curvature may be simple or complex so that, when curved or otherwise bent or arced, they bestow a collectively softened look to the interior, or even exterior if so desired, of the building and, in many cases, to form a free-flowing, undulating or simply curved effect. Light-weight metals, such as aluminum, or decorative metals, such as copper, are conventionally employed as the composition of the panels, so that they may be made larger, stronger and curvier than that previously available. When thousands or more of such panels are interconnected, suspended overhead and aligned, the result forms connecting hills and valleys in a landscape.
Such a panel used in the above-described applications and in the present invention, are formed from a flat, perforated blank. The blank may have any geometrical shape, e.g., triangular, rectangular or other configuration. It is cut away at its corners, or wherever suitable. In the case of a rectangularly shaped blank, the four corners are cut away so that their circumferential edge portions can be bent to form an interior face and flanges angularly extending therefrom. If all four flanges of a rectangularly shaped blank were bent, they could be made to meet and thus to form an enclosing border.
In panels previously marketed by the assignee of the present invention and fabricated by use of machines and methods not publically disclosed or otherwise made publically known until divulged herein, the bending of such rectangularly shaped blanks was performed in a two-step operation. The first bending entailed the bending first of opposed parallelly disposed flanges extending longitudinally along the interconnecting perforated interior face or portion into an angled orientation from the perforated panel face. These parallelly extending flanges were then stretched or shrunk, that is dimensionally changed, in sequential fashion along their lengths extending along the corresponding longitudinal dimension of the panel in construction. Such stretching or shrinking exerted stresses on the face of the blank so as to bias the face in a curved fashion. A stretching of the flanges produced a panel being concavely configured. A shrinking of the flanges produced a panel being convexly configured. Thereafter, the remaining flanges were bent to form a border enclosing a perforated interior portion or face which is either concavely or convexly curved, in accordance with the stretching or shrinking of the parallelly extending flanges. Brackets of conventional construction were then secured to selected ones of the flanges to enable the panels to be hung.
The machines and methods, which are referred to above as not having been publically disclosed or otherwise made publically known, employ two stretching and shrinking mechanisms, one for each flange. Each mechanism includes paired opposing jaws positioned on either side of its panel flange, and the jaws are disposed to grip the flange segment sandwiched therebetween. Each jaw mechanism is supported on a head, and one of the shrinking or stretching jaws is moveable while the other is stationary during the stretching or shrinking operation. The heads are moveable with respect to one another only to accommodate different panel widths between the panel flanges and, when so accommodated, are fixed in place.
The preferred jaw mechanisms are fabricated by W. Eckold AG Werkzeugmaschinen of Switzerland and are described in its forming tools and spare parts brochure entitled xe2x80x9cEckold-Kraftformer Piccolo, KF 320, KF 314xe2x80x9d, pages 6-8 thereof relating to spare parts FWA and FWR. In the preferred mechanisms, each jaw is composed of a pair of jaw halves, and one pair of jaw halves is positioned on one side of the flange and the other pair of jaw halves is positioned on the other side of the flange. This arrangement may be termed a sandwich of a flange segment between opposing jaw halves. Each pair of jaw halves is so constructed that the jaw halves within each pair can move mutually either towards or away from one other in a plane which is essentially parallel to the surfaces of the segment of the panel flange. Such relative movement between the jaw halves is dependant upon the configuration of the jaw half driving components which are coupled to a hydraulically operated driver. The jaw driving components include camming type elements which provide a very small and limited lateral movement of one pair of jaw halves in one jaw mechanism from the mating pair of jaw halves in the other jaw mechanism. This very small lateral jaw movement permits the panel flanges to be moved from one stretching or shrinking operation to the next such operation on an adjacent panel flange segment. Due to reasons discussed below, such lateral jaw movement is often insufficient to avoid some contact between the stationary jaw member and the adjacent flange surface. Additional lateral movement of the other jaw mechanism, when it is moved away from the stationary jaw mechanism, avoids contact the its adjacent flange surface.
In operation, when the jaw halves of opposed mechanisms engage opposite sides of the segment of the flange, the thus engaged flange segment is either shrunk or stretched.
The machines and methods, which are referred to above as not having been publically disclosed or otherwise made publically known, also include panel supporting and incrementally moving rollers. These rollers respectively support and grip the panel being worked on so as to incrementally move it and its flange portions into a stationary position between the jaws for stretching or shrinking a specific panel flange portion presently positioned between the jaws, and then to incrementally advance the panel so as to position the next panel flange portion to be so worked on.
Further support is employed to support the completed, curved panel as it exits from the machine, comprising essentially a linearly disposed roller arrangement positioned generally at the center of the panel face.
While the curved panels so fabricated have been successfully accepted and served well for their intended applications, it was desired that the curvature and quality of the finished product be improved. If the sequentially applied stretching or shrinking operations were not perfectly applied to the flanges, either to an individual flange or to opposed flanges, variations in curvature occurred, resulting in a non-uniform or warped panel appearance.
It was also discovered, for example, that the blanks, per se as constituting the raw material for the panels, were not homogeneous in several respects, that the panels were not uniformly shaped, and/or that the panel flanges were galled. Lack of homogeneity resulted from varying physical, chemical and material characteristics, for example, nonuniform thickness, material constituents and hardness throughout the blanks. Formation of the panel flanges also produced a lack of uniformity, e.g., from slight variations in the thickness of the flange when the blank was first fabricated from sheet stock, or from slight variations in the flatness of an individual flange or in the parallelism between the flanges on opposite sides of the perforated panel face, such as might have occurred during bending of the blank to form the dependent flanges. These and possibly other reasons produced galling in the flanges due to abrasion as they were moved past one or both the jaws because the lateral movement of the jaw half pairs was insufficient to provide adequate clearance of one or both jaw halves in one or both of the jaw pair from one or both the surfaces of the respective panel flange. Most commonly, the advancing panel would cause one side of the flange to contact the stationary jaw halves. The curvature of the finished panel was also affected by all or part of the above lack of homogeneity and uniformity.
The support provided by the essentially linearly disposed roller device means positioned at the exit of the machine was found not to be completely successful, in part because the exit portion of the curving machine acted as a fixed central point for holding the exiting curved panel. Therefore, as the panel moved further from the machine, this fixed point acted to increasingly produce a cantilevering effect on the curved panel. The linearly disposed roller support positioned at the center of the perforated panel face mitigated, but did not completely avoid such a cantilevering effect, and was further found to provide inadequate support for the panel, particularly at its face adjacent the side flanges. As a consequence, the curvature of the panel was deleteriously affected to a lesser or greater extent.
Therefore, every finished panel needed to be inspected for damage or lack of uniform curvature and, regarding the latter issue, the panels had to be segregated into like groups or classes and, when often needed, reworked by hand. Such inspection and reworking by hand involves the placing of the curved flange over a printed pattern of the desired curvature, to match the former with the latter. If there is a mismatch, the mismatch is marked on the flange, and the flange is inserted into a manually operated crimping tool, and crimped. Further inspection and manual crimping is conducted, as required. The result is increased cost and lower profitability, and affected competition vis-a-vis the products of others.
The machines and methods, which are referred to above as not having been publically disclosed or otherwise made publically known, are improved upon by the addition of refinements and additions which monitor and support the panel as it is worked on and protect it from undesired physical contact. A computer and related software, coupled to appropriate fluidic, mechanical, electromechanical and opto-mechanical devices ensure proper control of the refinements and additions.
Specifically, the curvature of the panel, as it is worked on by the stretching or shrinking mechanisms, is monitored preferably by a laser radiation so that any variation from the desired curvature pursuant to a pre-existing specification is immediately detected and information thereof is fed to the computer which then commands the respective stretching or shrinking mechanism and the panel feeding apparatus to make appropriate corrections. Both the heads, which carry the jaw mechanisms, and the jaw mechanisms are moveable towards and away from one another in individual and collective deportment to provide better spacing between the jaw mechanisms and, therefore, to avoid such problems which result from galling and abrasion and less than desired uniformity of panel curvature.
Several advantages are derived from this arrangement. Primarily, the curvature of the panels is more accurate and uniform. Panel face imperfections are reduced, the panel has the look of a true curve and the panel""s appearance is accordingly improved. The points at which the curvature can be stopped and started can be more precisely located and, therefore, the transition from one curve to another, e.g., concave to convex and vice-versa or to a flat, is easily attained; one curve producing jaw mechanism can be replaced by another with much greater ease than before. Only inspection for lack of homogeneity and machine settings, for example, is required; inspection for galling is eliminated. Because the lack of uniform curvature is essentially, if not substantially avoided, less or no segregation of the panels into like groups or classes is circumvented. Costs are better maintained, architectural precision is enhanced, and increased acceptance in the marketplace is attained.
Other aims and advantages, as well as a more complete understanding of the present invention, will appear from the following explanation of exemplary embodiments and the accompanying drawings thereof.